PARTY TRAILER?

Saturday was a glorious day here on West Sound. The weather was nice. The sun was high in the heavens and the sky was blue. The temperature was brisk, but not cold. Saturday was a dazzling gem that sparkled in springtime’s crown. The weather was something to be treasured for those of us accustomed to 8-9 months of slate gray. The day was spectacular.

Except for me, that is, I, Pastor Greenbean, spent a large portion of that day at a denominational meeting.

Let me be clear, the meeting was a good one. The meeting was a necessary one. However, it was Saturday. It was Saturday in the spring. It was Saturday in the spring when the weather was out of this world. You’ll have to excuse me if I had a hard time concentrating. My mind kept wandering.

Focus Greenbean, focus!

My mind wandered the most during a presentation of our local association’s (OBA) party trailer. The report was good; but I kept thinking about that party trailer. It is a wonderful tool, and has a lot of resources to help churches conduct a “block party,” and that is where it got its name. I’ve seen this trailer, and I think it is missing some things, though, to truly be a “Party” trailer.

1. Disco Ball–I’ve said this before in meetings, publicly, that it cannot be rightly called a party trailer unless there is a disco ball. I promise you that the dynamics of the trailer’s usage would change if there were a disco ball. I promise it would communicate a great deal to the local community if, on some summer evening, the party trailer cruised into a parking lot, busted out the disco ball, put a little Bee Gees on the external sound system, and let it rip. It would draw a crowd. I promise.

2. Gi-normous Gaming Platform–I’m not much of a gamer, anymore. I turned in my Nintendo thumbs some time ago, back when Mario was really tiny and jumped over barrels. Today the extent of my gaming is Words With Friends (I am, though, awesome at Words With Friends). But kids today expect a digital delight at every turn. I think the party trailer’s side panels should peel up at the touch of the button and expose massive 10 feet by 8 feet screens featuring the latest gaming platforms–Playstation, Wii, and XBox.

3. Wi-Fi–Of course, it goes without saying that such a party trailer would need internet capacity. But let’s bust it out a bit and make the party trailer a roaming hotspot. Folks can enjoy snow cones and popcorn while Facebooking, blogging, or watching their favorite shows online. Wow, that sounded just like a commercial for cable television.

4. A Hip Name–There are a host of other things that this party trailer would need, but the most important thing is a name. “Party Trailer” is more a description, a job description. It needs some kind of moniker to brand it. I humbly suggest we name the party trailer either “Pop-N-Church Presto” or maybe “Playetyme.” The Playetyme idea is inspired by Jon Acuff’s book in which he asks why do so many churches add extra E’s to their names (Ala Crosspointe, etc…) The trailer could have multiple names, depending on the venue. If it is a youth event, then it flies under the call sign “JESUS PALOOZA” but if it is a senior adult gathering then perhaps it could be called “THE SAINTLY SHUFFLEBOARDER.”

None of this is too serious, but the day dreaming and the notes I made in my Moleskin about the Party Trailer kept me focused, at least a little bit, about what we were talking about and not daydreaming about being outside. Now, you also know, why they don’t let me make any really important decisions.

Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you about my idea to have a Slip-N-Slide that came out of the trailer directly into a tank where we could do baptisms . . .

We need to build a new baptistry and I think we should install a permanent version of your baptism/water-slide idea. I can stand there at the top, ask if they believe, and give them a little push when they testify. Then, they slide down and land in the pool located between the platform and the front row of seats which we will have to rename “the splash zone.” Baptisms should skyrocket, especially in August, with many people being re-baptized…perhaps several times a day. Of course, we will change the name of the church, too. The new sign will have, “A Great Commission Church” in small letters right under “Great Wolf Baptism Church.”

Imagine what we can char… um, imagine the offerings! This is better than the Good News Blimp.